Clark Kent and Quinoa

Stiles paced his kitchen, running his hands over his buzzed hair. He had decided on cooking something he had made for his dad several times so as not to have to worry about trying something new and it not coming out right. He jumped when the buzzer sounded. He practically ran to push the button that would unlock the door downstairs. He waited anxiously by the door until a soft knock sounded. Trying to exert a little control over himself, he took a few deep breaths before he opened the door.

"Hey." Derek said simply when he came into sight. He was smiling, making it hard for Stiles to breathe or take his eyes of Derek's mouth.

After much too long a silence, Stiles finally responded. "Hey there, Dr. Hale." he said with a smirk. His voice was a little wobbly but he managed to convey the desired amount of pleasure at seeing Derek.

"Your nose looks like it's healing nicely." Derek commented.

"Yeah, it doesn't hurt much anymore." Stiles said. "Come in." he added waving Derek into the room.

Derek took a step across the threshold and inhaled deeply. "Something smells good." he said.

Now that Derek was standing in his living room a thought occurred to Stiles that seized his lungs with panic. "Shit, you aren't allergic to shrimp, are you?" he said.

Derek smiled at him kindly. "No. as long as there's no tetracycline in anything, I'll be fine."

Stiles laughed. "There go my plans for dessert then." he said with a wink. "Shall we?" he asked, offering his arm. Cheesy though it might be, Derek took it, allowing Stiles to lead him into the kitchen.

Stiles untangled himself from Derek and pulled out his chair for him. "Dr. Hale." he said with another wink. Derek sat down as Stiles made his way to the oven where the food sat, keeping warm.

"I wasn't sure what kind of things you like to eat, but I make this for my dad all the time and he's a picky eater so I figured it was a safe bet." Stiles said as he spooned Quinoa into a bowl.

"What is it?" Derek asked.

"Roasted shrimp, broccoli, and quinoa with a tomato and scallion vinaigrette." Stiles said. He looked over at Derek to gauge his reaction and found him smiling. "Sounds amazing." Derek said.

Stiles pulled the roasted shrimp and broccoli from the oven and divided it between the two bowls. He then took the jar full of dressing from the counter and divided it as well. Meal prepared, he snagged to forks from the drawer and placed Derek's food in front of him with a flourish. "Bon appetit!" Stiles said.

Derek let out a short laugh. "Thanks." he said, beaming up at Stiles, whose stomach swooped at the sight.

Stiles busied himself with sitting down with his own food, hoping Derek didn't notice his ears turning pink.

When he finally looked up, it was to watch Derek take his first bite. Derek's eyes went wide as he chewed. "This is incredible." Derek said. "Where did you learn to cook like this?"

Stiles fought a blush as he answered. "Kinda on my own." he explained. "My mom passed away when I was little so it's just been me and my dad for a long time. He's more of a takeout kind of guy but when I was in high school he had some cholesterol issues so I started cooking more heart healthy stuff for him."

"I'm sorry about your mom." Derek said.

"It was a long time ago." Stiles mumbled, looking down at his food.

Their conversation varied from what they both do for a living to their favorite baseball teams as they ate. When they were both done, Derek insisted on doing the dishes.

"You cooked, let me clean." he said.

Stiles compromised by drying the dishes as Derek washed and when they were done they stood awkwardly for a few seconds.

"Do you have to go?" Stiles asked suddenly.

"No." Derek said. "I'm all yours."

Stiles groaned internally at the implications of that statement. "Do you want to watch a movie or something?" he asked.

"Yeah, sure," Derek said.

Stiles led the way into the living room. "Do you like superhero movies?" Stiles asked over his shoulder.

"Yeah." Derek said, settling onto the couch.

"Awesome." Stiles went to a shelf full of DVDs and quickly made a selection. Once the disk was in the player, he sat down next to Derek and hit play.

When the opening credits began, Derek laughed. "Superman?" he said.

"What?" Stiles asked. "It's a classic!"

"No, I agree." Derek said. "It's um...It's my favorite movie."

Stiles smiled at him and settled back to watch the movie.

Derek felt relaxed. More so than he had in a long time. About halfway through the movie, Stiles leaned toward him, and Derek, taking his cue, slid his arm around Stiles's shoulders. "Is this okay?" Derek asked.

"Definitely." Stiles said. He leaned the rest of the way into Derek and only a few minutes later, Stiles head was on Derek's chest. They watched the movie mostly in silence. Occasionally Stiles would offer up some interesting tidbit about the movie or the comics that he had learned, always with child-like enthusiasm glinting in his eyes.

When the end credits rolled, Derek looked down at his watch. "I should probably go." he said with a reluctant sigh. "I have to be at the hospital early tomorrow." Derek could read the disappointment in Stiles's eyes that mirrored his own but he said nothing.

They watched each other for a minute. Stiles's face was so close to Derek's that Derek could count his freckles if he wanted to. Stiles's nose was still slightly swollen, and the bruising had spread underneath his eyes.

Without warning, Stiles surged forward and pressed his lips to Derek's. The sudden action caused them to bump noses and Stiles leaned back, wincing in pain.

"Shit, I'm sorry." Derek said. He reached out and cupped Stiles's face with one hand. "It must still be sore."

Stiles could not answer Derek because the other man was now running his fingertip down the bridge of Stiles's nose, his touch feather soft. With his other hand, Derek captured Stiles's hand and brought it to his lips, pressing kisses on to each of Stiles's fingertips.

"Let's try that again." Derek said. He moved his hand back to Stiles's cheek and leaned forward. He pressed a soft kiss to Stiles's lips, careful to avoid his nose. Stiles sighed softly and reached up to bury his hand in Derek's short, dark hair.

All too soon, Derek pulled back. "I really do have to go." he said, although it sounded as though he resented the fact.

They both stood and Stiles walked Derek to his door. "I want to see you again." Derek said, opening the door and leaning against the frame.

"Me too." Stiles said, rubbing the back of his head.

"I have the night shift on Saturdays so if you wanted to do something Friday we would have more time." Derek said.

"Sounds great." Stiles said. "You should go before you...before you don't."

While his words were hesitant, the glint in Stiles's eyes sent a shiver down Derek's spine.

"Yeah." Derek said. "Thanks for dinner." he said and kissed Stiles quickly on the cheek before beating a hasty retreat